The horizontal line represents the person’s life.1652 - born1669 - “The doctrine of the three sacred
persons of the Trinity”1672 - “Meditations”1763 - died

Tate, Nahum

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He was matriculated by the name
of NahumTeat, which Mr. Mnlone adopted
seems to think was his real name; but
“being called by the less polished of
his country men, Tate, according to the
ordinary Irish pronunciation, he pro
bably, when he came to England,
the new spelling of his name.”
On this we have only to remark, that
the name is spelt both ways in the titlepages of his father’s works.

a well known Psalmodist, was born
in Dublin in 1652. His father, Dr. Faithful Tate, was also
son to a Dr. Tate, a clergyman, and was born in the county
of Cavan, and educated in the college of Dublin, where
he took the degree of D. D. In 1641, being then minister
of Ballyhays, in that county, he was a great sufferer by the
rebels, against whom he had given some information, and
in his way to Dublin was robbed by a gang, while about
the same time his house at Ballyhays was plundered, and
all his stock, goods, and books, burnt or otherwise destroyed. His wife and children were also so cruelly treated,
that three of the latter died of the severities inflicted upon
them. After this he lived for some time in the college of
Dublin, in the provost’s lodgings. He became then preacher
of East Greenwich, in Kent, and lastly minister of St.
Werburgh’s church, in Dublin. He was esteemed a man
of great piety but, as Harris says, was thought to be
| puritanically inclined, as perhaps may be surmised from
his own and his son’s Christian names, names taken from
the Scriptures heing very common with a certain class of the
puritans. He was living in 1672, but the time of his death
we have not been able to fix. Besides two occasional sermons, he published, 1. “The doctrine of the three sacred
persons of the Trinity,” Lond. 1669, 8vo; and, 2. “Meditations,” Dublin, 1672, 8vo.

His son, Nahum, at the age of sixteen, was admitted of
Dublin college, but does not appear to have followed any
profession. It is observed by Warburton, in the notes to
the Dunciad, that he was a cold writer, of no invention,
but translated tolerably when befriended by Dryden, with
whom he sometimes wrote in conjunction. He succeeded
Shad well as poet-laureat, and continued in that office till
his death, which happened Aug. 12, 1715, in the Mint,
where he then resided as a place of refuge from the debts
which he had contracted, and was buried in St. George’s
church. The earl of Dorset was his patron; but the chief
use he made of him was to screen himself from the persecutions of his creditors. Gildon speaks of him as a man
of great honesty and modesty; but he seems to have been
ill qualified to advance himself in the world, A person
who died in 1763, at the age of ninety, remembered him
well, and said he was remarkable for a down-cast look, and
had seldom much to say for himself. Oidys also describes
him as a free, good-natured, but intemperate companion.
With these qualities it will not appear surprising that he
was poor and despised. He was the author of nine dramatic performances, and a great number of poems; but
is at present better known for his version of the Psalms,
in which he joined with Dr. Brady, than any other of his
works. His miscellaneous poems are enumerated in Gibber’s <c Lives,“and by Jacob, who says Tate’s poem on
the Death of queen Anne, which was one of the last, is” one of the best poems he ever wrote.“His share in
the” Second Part of Absalom and Achitophel“is far from
inconsiderable; and may be seen in the English Poets. He
published also” Memorials for the Learned, collected out
of eminent authors in history,“&c. 1686, 8vo and his” Proposal for regulating of the Stage and Stage Plays,"
Feb. 6, 1698, is among bishop Gibson’s Mss. in the Lambeth library. 1

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